Academic Writing

Style
UNIT
2.13
There is no one correct style of academic writing, but in general it should attempt
to be accurate, impersonal and objective. For example, personal pronouns like ‘I’
and idioms (i.e. informal language) are used less often than in other kinds of
writing. Students should study examples of writing in their own subject area, and
then aim to develop their own ‘voice’. This unit gives guidelines for an appropriate
style, and provides practice.
Poor style
Reason
How to make people work harder . . .
Imprecise vocabulary – use ‘motivation’
. . . lots of people . . .
Vague – give names
. . . the last few years.
Vague – give dates
lots of different . . .
Avoid ‘lots of’

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The paragraph could be re-written in more suitable style:

Motivation has been the subject of numerous studies during recent decades,
but this essay will focus on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory (1943) and
Herzberg’s two-factor theory (1966). Their contemporary relevance to the need
to motivate employees effectively will be examined critically, given that this can
be considered crucial to a firm’s survival in the current economic climate.
2 Guidelines
There are no rules for academic style that apply to all situations, and all academic disciplines.
The following guidelines should help you develop a style of your own.
(a) Do not use idiomatic or colloquial vocabulary: kids, boss. Instead use standard English:
children, manager.
(b) Use vocabulary accurately. There is a difference between rule and law, or weather and
climate, which you are expected to know if you study these subjects.
(c) Be as precise as possible when dealing with facts or figures. Avoid phrases such as about
a hundred or hundreds of years ago. If it is necessary to estimate numbers, use approximately
rather than about.
(d) Conclusions should use tentative language. Avoid absolute statements such as
unemployment causes crime. Instead, use cautious phrases: unemployment may cause crime
or tends to cause crime.
(e) Avoid adverbs that show your personal attitude: luckily, remarkably, surprisingly.
(f) Do not contract verb forms: don’t, can’t. Use the full form: do not, cannot.
2.13: Style
139